As your parent ages, their number of doctor-prescribed prescriptions may increase. Managing multiple medications may become overwhelming or confusing for your senior parent. Follow the National Institute on Aging’s tips below to ensure that you and your aging parent manage their medications safely and effectively.
Make a list. Write down all your senior parent’s medications, including over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements. Include the name of each medication, dose, and time that each medication is taken. For prescriptions, also include the name of the doctor who prescribed the medication and the reason it was prescribed. Share the list with all your senior parent’s health care providers.
Create a file. Save the written information of all your senior parent’s prescriptions in a file that is easily accessible. Make copies of each prescription’s information. Also make copies of your comprehensive medications list and keep one copy with you and one copy in the file.
Check expiration dates. Ensure that your senior parent’s medicine cabinet is organized and up-to-date. If a medication is expired, ask your senior parent’s pharmacist or doctor for instructions on how to properly dispose of the expired medication.
Follow instructions. Read your senior parent’s medicine labels and work with their pharmacist to ensure that they take their prescriptions correctly. Use the correct dosage as indicated on the prescription’s instructions. Taking a larger dose of medicine or skipping a dose can be very dangerous. Ensure that your senior parent takes their medicine consistently and on time. There are many ways to help your senior parent remember to take their medications. Simple medication reminders and tools include charts, calendars, timers, mealtimes, and weekly pill boxes. Ensure that your senior parent takes their prescriptions until the prescription is finished, unless their doctor says they’re able to stop taking a prescription. Some prescriptions are to be taken “as needed”.
Turn on a light. Encourage your senior parent to take medications in a well-lit area to help avoid mistakes, such as taking the wrong medication or taking too much or too little.
Report side effects and other complications. Call your senior parent’s doctor immediately if they experience adverse effects with their prescriptions or over-the-counter medications. If your senior parent drinks alcohol or uses tobacco products, tell their doctor.
Are you unable to monitor your senior parent’s medication management? If your senior parent struggles with daily tasks, it’s possible that they may not be managing their medications properly. When it comes to the health, safety, and security of your loved one, you cannot be too careful. If you fear that your senior parent is mismanaging their medications, call SYNERGY HomeCare of Corona, Riverside, or Anaheim Hills. Our trained, compassionate, expert in-home caregivers can provide your senior parent ongoing support, whether they are experiencing the effects of aging, disability, illness, or injury.
SYNERGY HomeCare of Corona, Riverside, and Anaheim Hills in-home caregivers review medications to avoid dangerous complications. SYNERGY HomeCare of Corona, Riverside, and Anaheim Hills in-home caregivers are able to distribute medication when needed, eliminating confusion or stress due to confusion, arthritis, and other physical restrictions. Our in-home caregivers will work with your senior parent’s primary physician, pharmacist, and other health care providers to enhance your aging parent’s health and well being.
Our in-home caregivers can also ensure that your senior parent leads a healthy, independent lifestyle in their own home with expert caregiver support. SYNERGY’s in-home caregivers provide a wide range of quality care services, which include:
- Errands and transportation: Driving to the doctor’s office or an appointment, picking up prescriptions, going grocery shopping, etc.
- Meal assistance: Complete and nutritious heart-healthy meal planning and preparing.
- Light housekeeping: Assistance with laundry, ironing, changing linens, cleaning the kitchen/bathroom, and organizing.
- Companionship: Encouraging friendly and supportive conversation, active thinking (such as structuring pastimes, hobbies, and games), and light exercise.
Call SYNERGY Homecare of Corona, Riverside, or Anaheim Hills and ensure that your parent leads a safe, independent, and healthy life.
About SYNERGY HomeCare of Anaheim Hills
SYNERGY HomeCare of Anaheim Hills is the name you can trust in Anaheim, Anaheim Hills, Yorba Linda, Tustin, Santa Ana, Orange and Placentia for personal home care. SYNERGY HomeCare of Anaheim Hills is part of a national franchise of non-medical home care offices dedicated to providing exceptional and affordable service to anyone of any age. SYNERGY HomeCare caregivers are available 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, to those in need – including seniors, expectant moms, those suffering from sports injuries and debilitating illnesses, and more. SYNERGY HomeCare of Corona & Riverside can be found online at http://www.synergyhomecare.com/agencies/ca/anaheim-hills/ca25 . The location also hosts active social media pages on Facebook and Twitter. Ken and Anna can be reached at 714- 706-1613 and [email protected] .
